Hello My Brother
by MewIchigoZoey
Summary: A new hamster appears not long after Hamtaro has a dream of a familiar, yet strange hamster. Could these events be linked? My first Hamtaro fan fic, and better than it sounds. COMPLETE! Please read & review!
1. Chapter 1

This is my newest fan fic, and yes it's about Hamtaro, and yes it does have an OC of mine. I'd been working on this story for quite some time, but I didn't wanna put it up until I had more than one chapter, and now I do so yeah...I can put it up now. Enjoy! Please remember to read and review, and I'll update soon, nya!

---

It was a typical, noisy day at the Clubhouse. Bijou, Pashmina and Sandy were sitting at a table, having a girl chat.

Penelope and Cappy were off by the slide, playing Hide-and-Seek.

Boss was with Oxnard, watching as Panda put the finishing touches on a new desk.

Dexter and Howdy were (as usual) arguing over Pashmina.

In the thick of it all, Hamtaro sat up on the second floor by the always sleeping yet oh so wise, Snoozer. One look at his pensive face and it was easy to tell the little hamster was lost deep in thought.

_'Why do I feel so funny? It's like there's something I've forgotten...but what?'_ he thought.

_**Hamtaro is walking through a big grassy field. He takes another step, ears lowering and shivering as suddenly the sun fades away and he begins to feel lonesome. Suddenly he hears something, making the Ham jump.**_

_**"Heke? Hello? Is someone there?" Hamtaro asks, glancing from side to side. He walks some more but stops dead in his tracks as he hears the sound again. **_

_**"Wh-who's there? C'mon! Show yourself!" Hamtaro demands. **_

_**"...Hamtaro." Comes a soft voice. **_

_**Hamtaro turns around and sees another hamster, several feet away from him. "Who are you?" he asks nervously. **_

_**"You've forgotten me?" The hamster asks in that same, soft spoken voice. She begins to come closer. **_

_**This scares Hamtaro and he backs up slightly. **_

_**"Hamtaro, it's me. Don't you remember me?" **_

_**Hamtaro gulps as he stares at the hamster. There's something familiar about her...but he can't put his paw on it. **_

_**"Who is this? Where have I seen those emerald eyes before?" He says under his breath. **_

_**"Hamtaro.." **_

_**"Who are you? What do you want from me?!" Hamtaro questions, but the mysterious hamster merely stares at him. **_

_**"How have you forgotten me, Hamtaro?" She asks, staring at him with those piercing green eyes. **_

_**Hamtaro is starting to sweat. "What do you mean? I've never even met you! You've got the wrong hamster!" **_

_**Over come with a strange fear, he turns and runs. The hamster gives chase. Hamtaro, seeing this, cries out in fear. "Leave me alone!"**_

_**The hamster's eyes seem to follow him no matter what; even when he's not looking at her, he sees those emerald eyes. There's no place to hide. Hamtaro skids to a halt as he comes to a dead end..There's nowhere else to run. He turns back fearfully to face the hamster who's coming closer to him. **_

_**"Hamtaro..."**_

_**Her appearance is becoming more visible. She's not just a white hamster.**_

_**"Hamtaro..." **_

_**Hamtaro stares hard, trying to recall where he's seen this fur coat. **_

_**"It's me, your l-"**_

"HAMTARO!"

"Gyyyyaaaahhh!"

Caught off guard, Hamtaro jumped, and fell down the ladder. The golden hamster sat up and rubbed his head.

"Ouchichi! Hey, who did that?"

"Oh, sorry Hamtaro!"

"Heke?" Hamtaro glanced up and saw his buddy, Oxnard.

The gray and white spotted hamster wore a guilty expression. "That was all my fault!" He scurried down the ladder to Hamtaro. "Are you hurt? Are you mad? I'm so sorry!"

Hamtaro gave him a weak smile. "Oxi, it's OK. You just scared me."

Oxnard buried his face in his little paws. "I'm sorry. Hey, would it make it up to you if I gave you my sunflower seed?" Although he sounded willing, Oxnard looked very reluctant to give up his beloved seed.

Hamtaro just smiled. "It's OK Oxnard. You don't have to give me your seed. I'm not mad at you."

Oxnard looked relieved. "Oh good!" he cheered. There was a slight pause. "I mean good that you're not angry." he added hastily.

Hamtaro laughed. "I know."

"So what were you doing up there?" Oxnard asked, changing the subject.

Hamtaro shrugged. "Just thinking."

"About what?"

Hamtaro hesitated. There was no way he could tell Oxnard what he had just seen in his mind..It was too weird! So he just shrugged again.

"Nothing, really. Believe me, I don't even understand what I was thinking about."

Oxnard nodded, apparently believing this. "OK then. Hey, want to go and see Panda's new desk? It looks really cool."

Hamtaro nodded. "Sure!" He replied.

Maybe that would take his mind off of his weird day dream.

_'I've got the strangest feeling I've met that hamster from my day dream before..But where?' _he thought silently.


	2. Chapter 2

Wow, was I ever surprised to get this many reviews for this fan fic so quickly...thank you everyone who reviewed! Here's an update, just for all of you, for being so great! Hope you enjoy it!

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Later that night, Hamtaro lay in his carrier, wide awake. What had his daydream earlier meant?

_'I just know it means something's going to happen soon,' he thought, 'But what? Am I going to meet a new hamster?'_

Hamtaro sighed. All this thinking was getting him no where; it was just making him feel more anxious and confused.

Finally Hamtaro grew too tired to worry about it anymore. He climbed into his little house, snuggled up and fell asleep.

--

Little did he know that at this very moment, there was a huge commotion going on in the pet store on the other side of town.

A cat had broken out of its cage and now was pestering a poor little hamster, who was still in her carrier.

"Gyaaaahhh! Leave me alone!' the hamster cried.

In the moonlight, her fur appeared to be a crisp white. She had a bright orange stripe that started on her back, and met at a tip in a few zig zags on her face. Her bright green eyes showed worry as she thought about what to do.

This cat would soon destroy her carrier, leaving her at the mercy of its attacks. _'What if I break free before it gets to me?' _she thought. _'That might work!'_

The orange and white hamster backed up as far as she could, then slammed herself into the carrier.

"Ouchichi!" she groaned, rubbing her head. That hurt!

She looked up to see if it had done anything, and smiled triumphantly. Apparently her head had knocked the door open. Now if she could only climb out without being seen by the cat.

Being as quiet as she could, the hamster crawled out through the opening and ran to find a place to hide. This all worked out, but it was so dark, she couldn't see well and she crashed into a rabbit's cage, upsetting the fluffy animal.

The cat, hearing this, turned and snarled, spotting the white and orange hamster. It prepared itself then lunged at her in attack.

"Aaaaah!" The white hamster yelled, running away.

Where could she go? That cat was gaining on her, and she needed a new plan. Just as she looked up, she spotted a window that was partially open. The owner of this shop always left it open overnight so the animals could get some air.

Thinking quickly, the hamster jumped up on top of a shelf and scurried to the top. Now she was high enough to get to the window. It was a pretty far jump for a little hamster though...

She was just deciding whether or not it was too risky when she heard a snarl behind her. The cat had climbed up onto the shelf and was stalking toward her!

Having no other choice, the hamster got a run start and jumped off the shelf toward the window. Her paws just grabbed onto the edge and she pulled herself up, panting hard.

The cat stared at her and she laughed. "Haha! I'm out of here! You can't get me anymore! So just go back to your cage, you pathetic excuse for a cat!" She laughed. "Ooo...I'm so scared! That little kitty cat is-"

Before she could finish, the cat snarled loudly, and jumped across onto the window sill with her.

The hamster gulped, beginning to sweat. "Um, just kidding!" she said. "Nice kitty...very nice kitty...Gyaah!"

As she was talking, the hamster had been backing up, and now she fell backwards into a bunch of bushes.

The cat leapt down, eyes scanning the area for the hamster. She realized this, and stayed quiet as a mouse, not daring to even breathe. At long last, the cat left, and the hamster was able to crawl out of the bushes.

"Yeah, I fooled that dumb cat!" she said triumphantly. "Hahaha! That's what happens when you mess with Carrot Tip!"

There was a pause as Carrot Tip glanced up at the big full moon in the sky. "I guess I'd better keep moving. No place is safe now. That cat could come back anytime."

Heaving a low sigh and yawning, Carrot Tip turned and began to walk.

She walked all night, hiding anytime an animal or human came into view. She'd wait until whoever it was had gone, then she resumed her journey.

Now it was early morning...The sun was barely beginning to come up. Carrot Tip felt exhausted.

"I'd better find someplace to rest." she decided as she found herself in a park.

The orange and white hamster quickly decided that underneath a bench would probably be the safest place.

She crawled underneath one, curled into a small ball to keep warm and fell asleep quickly, completely worn out from the night's adventure.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you again to everyone who's reviewing this! Here's the next chapter! Remember, if you read it, please review and tell me how you like it. That's all. Later, nya!

It was late afternoon. A orange and white tiger striped hamster was skateboarding around the park, flirting with a couple girl Hams.

"Hey there, lovely. Why don't you hop on my skateboard, and we'll go for a ride..Just you and me. What do you say?" The hamster flirted.

The girl hamster, Pashmina, shook her head. "No thank you." she managed to say. No was hard to say sometimes for her.

The tiger striped hamster moved on to a white hamster wearing blue ribbons. Bijou.

But before he could make a move, a ribbon suddenly wrapped around his tail, and he was dragged away from both Pashmina and Bijou.

"What's the big idea?" he asked, turning around. He sweatdropped as he saw his twin sister, Sandy.

She looked very much like him with the same tiger stripes, except she wore a ribbon on her tail and was slightly smaller. An angry, annoyed expression was on her face. "Stop hitting on my friends, Stan!" she yelled.

Stan cringed slightly. Then he hung his head and sighed. "Ok, ok! Just let me go!" he said.

Sandy gave her brother a hard stare. "You promise to leave my friends alone?" she asked.

Stan nodded reluctantly. "Yes, I promise!" he said.

"Ok. But I'm watching you!" Sandy unwrapped his tail from her ribbon and went to join Bijou and Pashmina on the slides.

Stan glared and stuck his tongue out at her. _'Hey...she said I couldn't flirt with Bijou and Pashmina...'_ he thought. _ 'But she didn't say anything about any other cuties I'll find here!' _

With this in mind, Stan got on his skateboard and zoomed off. As he rode, he felt so free, feeling the wind rush through his fur.

He was passing by a bench when he heard a sound that made him stop and go back. It sounded like a small voice. Stan, assuming it was another "cutie" Ham-Ham, got off his skateboard and waved.

"Hamha!" he called but nobody answered him. "Heke?"

Confused by this, Stan left his skateboard and went under the bench. The sounds were louder here, and it sounded like whoever was there, was humming or something.

"Hello?" Stan said softly. "Anybody here?"

Then he spotted something weird. Over by the bench leg there was a leaf on top of something.

Stan walked over and gently removed the leaf, uncovering...a hamster! She had white fur with a strip of white going down her back and up her face, and a green bow was on her tail.

_'Wow, is she ever beautiful!'_ Stan thought, staring as she began to move. _'Yes! She's waking up!'_

Carrot Tip sat up a bit and rubbed her eyes sleepily. "Oowah!" she mumbled, suppressing a yawn.

"Hamha gorgeous! What's a cutie like you doin' sleeping this time of day?" Stan said.

"Who...said that?" Carrot Tip mumbled.

Stan smiled. "I did. Open your eyes and look!"

Carrot Tip stopped rubbing her eyes and glanced up in surprise. She realized now who had spoken, but since she didn't know him, took him as a threat.

"What's the big idea barging in on me while I'm asleep? What do you want?!" she demanded, jumping up and getting into what appeared to be a fighting stance.

Stan sweatdropped nervously and put his paws up in front of him. "Hey, easy there, sister. I'm not going to hurt you!" he said, but backed up slightly just in case.

Carrot Tip remained in her fighting stance for a moment, trying to decide whether or not to believe this guy. _'Well...he does look pretty scared...If this hamster was really a threat, he'd be taking me on in battle right now.' _she decided.

The orange and white Ham dropped her fighting pose and turned away from Stan. "Alright, you're too scared to be a threat anyway..." she said with a smirk, folding her arms together.

Stan's jaw dropped at this. She thought he was scared? No! He had just been...uh...giving her some space! "I'm not scared!" he said.

Carrot Tip turned and looked at him over her shoulder. "Hmm, well alright. If you say so." she said, turning all the way around to face him again.

Stan decided to change the subject. "Sorry to startle you like that." he said. "My name's Stan. What might your name be, sweetie?"

Carrot Tip turned pink at this. She rolled her eyes, wondering silently why Stan was flirting with her. She wasn't anything special.

"Enough of the sweet talk, Stan. I'm not the kind of Ham you'd want." she said quickly.

"How do you know?" Stan teased. Carrot Tip growled in frustration under her breath. Then she offered her paw to shake. "The name's Carrot Tip." she said.

Stan smiled at this. "Carrot Tip, eh? Kinda a long name. Ya mind if I call ya C.T?"

Carrot Tip looked stunned by this, and even a little annoyed. "I would prefer if you called me Carrot Tip. _That's_ my name." she said.

Stan shrugged and rolled his eyes. Girls could be so hard to understand sometimes! "Fine, fine. I won't call you C.T. then." he said.

Carrot Tip smiled. "Good."

Stan looked thoughtful. "You know, Carrot Tip, I've never seen you around before. Where are you from?" he asked.

Carrot Tip paused before answering. "...The pet shop. A cat got out of its cage last night and tried to get me. So I broke out and ran away." she blushed slightly. "That's why I was sleeping...I walked all night." she said, trying to hide a yawn.

Stan nodded, though he had a funny feeling about Carrot Tip. She reminded him of another Ham; Hamtaro. "Hey Carrot Tip," he began, "Do you have any brothers or sisters?" he asked.

Carrot Tip shrugged her shoulders at this. "Hmm...I think I had a brother once...But he was taken away." she said, "It was such a long time ago. I can't remember now if it was real or just a dream."

She looked thoughtful. "Why do you ask, Stan?" she asked. "Were you wanting to hit on any sisters I might've had?" she added, a slightly annoyed look appearing on her face.

Stan shook his head. "No, that's not it!" he paused. "You remind me of a friend of mine." he explained.

Carrot Tip frowned. "Oh...Well...what's his name?" she asked.

"His name's Hamtaro." Stan replied.

Carrot Tip gasped. "That sounds vaguely familiar! It could've been my brother's name!" she said, then hastily added, "If he actually existed."

Stan laughed. "Well there's one way to find out. I could take you to meet him." he offered.

Carrot Tip thought about this. What if it was a trick so she would hang out with this flirt? Wait, she had decided that he wasn't a threat, and besides, she'd said no more sweet talk. What if Hamtaro really was her long lost brother? Wouldn't it be so great to see him again if it was true? There was only one way to find out, as Stan had said.

She turned and nodded to him. "Ok. I'm ready." she said cheerily.

"Alright, let's go, C.T!" Stan agreed.

Carrot Tip stiffened and she stared at him.

Stan quickly realized his slip of the tongue and said, "Oh, I-I mean...Carrot Tip!"

Carrot Tip looked satisfied with this.

"Hey, I know how to make the trip go faster." Stan suddenly said smiling. "Hop on my skateboard...We can ride there."

Carrot Tip looked skeptical, but hopped onto the four wheeled board anyways. Stan got on behind her, and they sped off.

As they rode, they passed Sandy, Pashmina and Bijou. Sandy had seen the orange and white hamster with Stan, and now she shook her head.

"That girl has no idea what she's getting into..." she mumbled, sighing.


	4. Chapter 4

I'm getting reviews a lot quicker on these updates than I'd expected to, so I guess I'll just keep updating, 'cause me likes reading all the wonderful reviews I'm getting! Thanks to all you reviewers! You've made my day soooo great, nya! So I'm putting up the next chapter...it's the least I can do for such wonderful readers as yourselves...enjoy!

---

About ten minutes later, Carrot Tip and Stan arrived at a big tree. There was an opening at the bottom circled by lots of rocks.

"Where are we?" Carrot Tip said in awe. She'd never seen anything like this in front of her.

Stan smiled. "We're at the clubhouse. It's where all us hamsters hang out." he replied.

A look of interest was on Carrot Tip's face. "A clubhouse? Hmmm..."

Stan helped the orange and white hamster off his skateboard and then they started to the clubhouse.

As they entered the opening, Carrot Tip realized this was more of a tunnel than a path. The ground seemed to take a slant down lower with every step they took. She sure hoped nothing scary would happen down here.

Stan seemed to sense her worry. He smiled and took her paw. "It's ok, Carrot Tip. I know it looks like, scary down here, but nothing bad will happen. Even if something did happen, I'd protect you." he said, still holding her paw.

Carrot Tip smiled a little at the tiger striped Ham, not noticing that he hadn't let go of her paw. "Thanks Stan. I think I underestimated you."

Stan smiled at her. "Well there's like, more to me than you think." he said.

Carrot Tip nodded, grinning. "So how much farther to the clubhouse?" she asked, turning her gaze to up ahead.

Stan looked ahead too, then said, "We're like, almost there. It's not too much farther."

As they were walking, Carrot Tip suddenly realized Stan was still holding her paw, and she yanked away from him, forcing him to let go.

"What's wrong Carrot Tip?" Stan asked, looked surprised.

Carrot Tip gave him a hard stare. "I told you...no more flirting." she said.

Stan looked thoughtful. "No, you just said no more sweet talk. You never said I couldn't hold your paw." he said.

Carrot Tip groaned inwardly, sweatdropping as she realized Stan was right. She'd only said not to flatter her with sweet words or names.

"Stan. We're not a couple. We just met. So please..Don't be holding my paw like that." She said after a long pause.

She seemed to be holding back from yelling. Stan didn't realize this though, and he kept right on pressing.

"But Carrot Tip, I was only like, holding your paw so you wouldn't get scared." he said, taking her paw once again.

Bad move. Carrot Tip's stare grew gold and angry. She jerked away from Stan and moved several inches away.

"Stan, listen! I'm not your girlfriend. So you can stop all the flirting right now, because I don't feel that way about you, and you shouldn't feel that way about me! There's nothing! We're not even friends!"

Carrot Tip, realizing she had lost her temper, tried hard to stop, but her mouth kept on running. "You shouldn't go getting all attached to me anyway because if Hamtaro isn't my brother, I'm leaving this place and everyone in it!"

Finally Carrot Tip stopped, and she let out a loud gasp as she saw Stan hunched over, head down and ears lowered.

She felt a wave of guilt wash over her, and she ran over to his side. "Stan...?"

The hamster didn't answer.

"Stan please...I'm so sorry. I didn't mean all that." Carrot Tip said regretfully, patting the bigger hamster's back a little. "I just lost my temper...I have trouble controlling it. I didn't mean what I said about leaving...Please don't be hurt."

The tiger striped hamster raised his head to look at her, and Carrot Tip could've sworn she saw small tears in his eyes.

"Carrot Tip...I'm sorry. I've always had this problem with flirting...and I need to get better control of it. Just please don't let me be the reason you go...Don't let my flirting chase you away." he said sounding sad.

"Are you crying?" Carrot Tip asked.

Stan quickly turned away and placed a paw to his face, rubbing his eyes. "No, I just like, have something in my eyes." he lied.

Carrot Tip sighed, feeling very bad now. "I'll tell you what...If you can put up with my temper... I'll try not to make such a big deal about your flirting. Just don't over do it. Kay?" she said, offering a paw to shake.

Stan quickly jumped to his feet, smiling again as he shook paws with Carrot Tip. "Like, you've got a deal, sister!"

Carrot Tip smiled, relieved that he wasn't crying anymore. Why did she always have to lose her temper? It always had such terrible results, and no matter what she did, she couldn't control her words when she got angry. She hadn't meant to tell Stan they weren't friends...it just slipped out from anger and frustration.

"...Carrot Tip?" Stan asked suddenly.

The orange and white hamster looked at him. "Yes?"

"...Are we friends?" Stan seemed to be asking this with great caution.

Carrot Tip tried to think why he'd ask this, but then it dawned on her. What she had said when she was mad!

Carrot Tip threw herself at him in a hug, nodding her head. "Of course we are, Stan. We are friends. Please forgive me for saying we aren't." she said.

Stan hugged her back, smiling. A few seconds later, Carrot Tip pulled away and looked up at her tiger striped friend.

"Let's keep moving." she said. "If-if you're ready, that is." she added.

Stan nodded his head. "I'm ready. Let's go, C.T!"

The hamsters had started to walk when Stan stopped them both, smiling sheepishly. "Um, I mean, Carrot Tip." he said.

The smaller hamster just laughed. "Don't worry. I'll let it slide." she said. "This time anyway." she added.

They walked on. After a few more minutes, the two hamsters came to what looked like a door.

"This is the place." Stan said. He opened the door, exposing all that was inside. "Welcome to the clubhouse!"

"Oh!" Carrot Tip stared in awe at the sight in front of her.

There was tables, a second floor, and lots of hamsters playing with toys or just chatting.

"You want to go in?" Stan asked.

Carrot Tip could only nod, still in amazement, so Stan took her by the paw and led her inside.

"Hamha everyone!" The tiger striped hamster greeted cheerfully.

All the Ham-Hams looked up. "Hamha, Stan." they greeted.

Then everybody noticed carrot Tip, and in just a few seconds all the hamsters in the clubhouse had circled around her and Stan.

"Who's she?" Asked a tall hamster holding a book.

"This is Carrot Tip." Stan answered. He looked at his friend.

"Ok. Carrot Tip. This is Maxwell, Boss, Dexter, Howdy, Cappy.." Stan went all around, introducing all the Hams.

Carrot Tip gave each one a bright smile and waved, but in the end, that smile faded. "...Where's Hamtaro?" she asked softly.

Boss spoke up. "Hamtaro? We sent him out to go get Sandy and the other girls so we could all play Ham-and-Seek." he said. "He'll be back soon."

Cappy approached Carrot Tip, a curious look on his face. "Why do you ask? Did you want to see him?" he asked.

Carrot Tip nodded. "Yeah..you see. His name...sounds familiar to me."

All the Hams looked confused at this. They all tilted their heads. "Heke?"

As quickly as they could, Stan and Carrot Tip explained what was going on, from Carrot Tip's escape from the pet store, to her meeting Stan earlier and their talk about her possible long lost brother.

When they had finished, Boss let out a low whistle. "So that's why you wanted to see him. Well, don't worry Carrot Tip. He'll be back in a few minutes."

Dexter approached the orange and white hamster and took her paw, leading her to a table. "For now, please join us for some sunflower tea."

Stan, realizing that Dexter had just "stolen" his girl, growled under his breath.

He hurried tot he table and had a seat next to Carrot Tip before Dexter could. "Sounds great! I think I'll have some tea too." he said enthusiastically.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dexter looking irritatedly at him.

The two hamsters locked stares, each one wearing an angry look as they growled, and Carrot Tip could've sworn she saw sparks of electricity going between their eyes.

"Would you just back off?! I thought you had Pashmina!" Stan said under his breath.

"I do, but I'm tired of fighting with Howdy!" Dexter replied angrily. "I figured I'd try for someone else."

Carrot Tip was watching this all with a puzzled look on her face. "Heke?"

She crossed her arms and shook her head. Boys...


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry for not updating, peoplez! I've been really busy getting ready for a party we're having this weekend! It's a miracle that I get a break from cleaning long enough to update right now! So I'm taking advantage of the time and uploading three chapters for you guys, 'cause I dunno when I'll get to update again...Enjoy, and don't forget to review, nya! D

---

Hamtaro, meanwhile, had found Sandy and the other girls. Now they walked through the tunnel that led to the Clubhouse.

Along the way, Hamtaro kept on stopping and shivering, as his day dream -more like day mare- kept flashing back to him. Who was the hamster that kept bothering him? Why did he have this strange feeling that something was going to happen? When would it happen?

Bijou noticed that Hamtaro had stopped walking and was wearing a puzzled frown. She ran back to him, to keep him company.

Sandy saw this, and with a slight smirk, told Pashmina and Penelope that the three of them should walk ahead, to give Bijou and Hamtaro some privacy.

"Hamtaro, are you Ok?" Bijou asked, a worried look on her face.

She really liked Hamtaro, and always hated when he was worried or upset. The orange and white hamster did not answer; he just continued to stare into space.

Bijou tapped him with a paw. "Hamtaro?"

This brought Hamtaro back to reality, and he looked at Bijou. "Heke? Did I miss something? What-what's going on?" he asked.

Bijou paused. "That is what I would like to know."she said in her French accent. "You've been acting strange, Hamtaro. You're always staring into space lately, and looking so worried...Is something wrong?" she asked.

Hamtaro hesitated. Should he tell her what was going on? She really did seem worried about him, and Hamtaro hated to see her like that.

He sighed. "Let's keep moving and I'll tell ya." he said.

Bijou nodded, and the two Ham-Hams began to walk. Ticky, ticky.

"I keep having this day dream.." Hamtaro began, "There's this hamster coming toward me. I'm all alone in a grassy field. She claims to know me...But when I ask who she is, she asks me why I don't remember her."

Bijou looked up at Hamtaro, a confused look on her face as he spoke.

"I run away from her, but she chases me, chanting my name over and over, and asking me the same question over and over: You don't remember me? Eventually, she corners me, and slowly approaches me, still chanting my name...Then I snap out of it." he finished.

Bijou looked worriedly at Hamtaro. "That sounds more like a nightmare...a day mare!" she said.

Hamtaro nodded, smiling weakly. "The crazy thing is, I'm almost positive I recognize the markings on her fur. I just don't know where I've seen her...Sorry, you probably think I'm crazy."

Bijou looked at him, feeling bad. "Well Hamtaro...I don't know what to think of this, but I know you're not crazy. Perhaps it means you are going to meet this hamster." she said, trying to come up with an explanation.

Hamtaro looked at the French hamster and nodded. "That's what I think too. I think it's going to be very soon, because I keep on having day dreams like that."

Bijou didn't say anything for a few minutes. Then she held one of his paws in hers and smiled. "Well, Hamtaro. I don't think you should worry about it so much. It could be just a silly day dream nightmare." she said.

"And if the time does come that you meet that hamster, I'll be here to help you." She smiled at the golden Ham. "So don't worry anymore, ok?"

Hamtaro felt himself relax at Bijou's words, and he smiled widely. "Thanks, Bijou." he said, giving her a hug.

Bijou felt her face warm up at this. Why did Hamtaro always seem to make her blush? Was it because she liked him? Hmm..Perhaps this was his way of telling her that he liked her that way too. Maybe, just maybe. Whatever the reason, she was enjoying being in his arms.

Unfortunately, this moment ended quickly, as Hamtaro looked up and saw that Sandy, Pashmina and Penelope were gone.

"Gyaah! They left us behind!" he said. "Let's catch up with them!" He said, breaking the hug.

Bijou sweatdropped. Ok, so maybe he wasn't trying to tell her anything in the hug except thanks. Never mind. One of these days she'd get that hamster's affections for hers. Deep down she knew this.

"Bijou, ya coming?" Hamtaro asked, looking back at the white hamster who was staring into space.

She quickly snapped out of her lovey thoughts and nodded her head.

"Oh yes! I'm coming Hamtaro!" she said, quickening her pace so she could walk beside him. It wouldn't be long before they reached the Clubhouse now...

--

"Like Hamha, everyone!"

Carrot Tip, Stan and the other hamsters looked up. "Hamha!"

Carrot Tip smiled as a tiger striped hamster came in, along with a brown and white hamster with a pink scarf, and a smaller hamster with a yellow cloak over her. "Hamha." she said brightly.

Then her ears drooped, and she looked down at her sunflower tea. She had really hoped that would be Hamtaro, but that wasn't the case.

Stan, noticing the downcast look on the orange and white hamster's face, leaned over to her and smiled. "What's wrong, Carrot Tip?" he asked.

Carrot Tip looked up at him and sighed. "Nothing I guess...I had just hoped that would be Hamtaro. Stan, what if he forgets to show up today? What if he had to go home...?" she trailed off.

Stan smiled reassuringly at the hamster. "Don't worry! I'm, like, sure he's on his way right now." he said.

"Like, who?" Sandy asked, approaching the two hamsters with the other girls.

"Oh, hey sis." Stan said.

Carrot Tip smiled a little. "You're his sister?" she asked.

"Like totally." Sandy replied. "It can be a big job though...So who were you talking about just now?" she asked again.

"Oh! I was talking about Hamtaro." Carrot Tip said.

Sandy nodded. "Hamtaro? Oh yeah! Like, he's in the tunnel right now with Bijou. We left those two alone to give them privacy. You know what I mean?" She said, smiling knowingly at Pashmina and Penelope.

As Sandy said this, they heard a cry and a thud. "Heke?"

Glancing up, they saw that Boss had fallen over on his side. An annoyed look was on his face. "What does Bijou see in Hamtaro? Can't she see that I'm the only Ham for her?!" he cried.

Carrot Tip's eyes widened. "Heke?!"

Sandy turned back to her and Stan, sweatdropping. "Oh never mind Boss. He's just jealous." she said.

She looked at Carrot Tip. "Like, I just realized. I didn't introduce myself yet! Haha..." she laughed.

"Anyway, the name's Sandy." she said, twirling a pink ribbon for more effect.

Carrot Tip gazed at this in awe. "Oh wow! That's cool, Sandy!" she exclaimed in amazement.

Pashmina spoke up now. "Hamha. My name's Pashmina, and this is my little sister Penelope." she said.

"Ookwee!" the cloaked hamster said cheerily.

Carrot Tip grinned. "Nice to meet you all. My name is Carrot Tip." she said, finally introducing herself.

"Carrot Tip, huh?" Sandy said, a look of amusement on her face. What a long name!

"Welcome to the Clubhouse, Carrot Tip." Pashmina said.

"Ookwee!" Penelope added enthusiastically.

Carrot Tip smiled. "Thanks everyone." She tried to remain cheery, but her frown faded soon after. "I hope Hamtaro comes soon.." she said with a small sigh.

Sandy looked curious. "Why do you want to see him so much?" she asked. Then in a softer voice, she added, "He's already taken by our friend Bijou. You know that, right?"

Carrot Tip's face turned red, and she placed a paw behind her head, sweatdropping.

"Oh! I didn't mean like that! It's just that..." she paused. "I think he might be related to me...My older brother." she said.

Sandy, Pashmina and Penelope all exchanged shocked stares. "Heke?!"

Carrot Tip sighed. "I guess I'll have to tell this story all over again."

As quickly as she could, the orange and white hamster recounted everything from the night before, to this day. When she had finished, Sandy and the others were a little calmer.

"Oh...I see. So you think you had a brother, and Hamtaro's name sounds, like, familiar, right?" Sandy said.

Carrot Tip nodded. "Mmhhmm. Very. That's why I've got to see him..and talk with him. That's the only way to find out for sure." she said.

"Well you won't have to wait any longer!" Pashmina said, glancing up as the door began to open. "Here he is!" she said.

Carrot Tip looked up quickly, just in time to see a white hamster with blue ribbons walk in, as well as a orange and white striped hamster.

_'He looks so familiar! Could he be my brother?' _Carrot Tip thought to herself.

"Hamtaro!" she got up up from her seat and ran over to him. "How are you?" she asked.

Hamtaro remained silent. A stunned look was on his face.

"Hamtaro?" Carrot Tip waved a paw in his face. "Heke?"

Bijou gave him a small shove, bringing Hamtaro out of his thoughts.

He did a quick double take. "Gyaaaaaah! You're...that hamster from my dream!"


	6. Chapter 6

Carrot Tip stepped back quickly, a confused look on her face.

"Is...he ok?" she muttered as Stan came up behind her. He didn't answer.

"Hamtaro, calm down, please!" Bijou said, trying to soothe her friend.

She took one of his paws in hers (much to Boss's dismay) and gave it a good, hard squeeze.

Thankfully, this snapped Hamtaro out of his craziness. The orange and white hamster did a double take. "Heke?"

Carrot Tip laughed. "Sorry, I acted too quickly."

She stepped forward cautiously. "Ha-hamha." she said softly.

Hamtaro turned back to her and almost cried out again, seeing her come toward him. This was too much like the scene in his "daymare" where the unknown hamster was approaching him, repeating his name.

Carrot Tip sweatdropped a little, seeing the stunned look on Hamtaro's face. "Are you ok, Hamtaro?" she asked.

Hamtaro looked at her. "How did you know my name?" he demanded quickly.

"Well, erm, Stan told me about you and I wanted to, umm, meet you..." the white and orange hamster replied, trailing off.

She didn't really want to get into this just yet- not with all the other ham-Hams around. She needed to get Hamtaro alone, and question him some.

Hamtaro gave Carrot Tip a suspicious stare. Why did she seem so...familiar?

Carrot Tip noticed his suspicous look on her, and she backed far away, uncomfortably. She didn't stop until she had walked into Stan, and hit heads with him.

"Oh! Sorry, Stan!" she said apologetically.

The tiger striped hamster rubbed his head, but he was smiling as he answered. "Like, it's Ok, Carrot Tip." he said with a hint of a laugh in his voice. This made Carrot Tip feel a little better, and she smiled too.

She glanced back at Hamtaro. He was still staring at her with that suspicious, almost unfriendly stare. The hamster sweatdropped. Why was he watching her so intently? What had she done to him?

Bijou sensed Carrot Tip's nervousness, and she gave Hamtaro a shove in the side.

"Hamtaro! Snap out of it!" she said, bringing the hamster back yet again.

He shook his head a little and smiled sheepishly at Carrot Tip. "Sorry...um...What did you say your name was?"

The smaller hamster smiled a little. "Carrot Tip."

"Carrot Tip..Sorry. You just...made me think of someone else. Sorry if I scared you with my staring."

Carrot Tip's face reddened slightly. Had she really looked scared? She scowled slightly.

"No! I wasn't scared! Just...wondering why you were watching me." she said crossing her little arms.

A few moments of uncomfortable silence hovered over the hamsters, as they both tried to think of what to say now.

Finally, Boss broke the silence. "Hey! Weren't we going to play Ham and Seek, Hamtaro?"

Hamtaro jumped and nodded, relieved to have the tension broken. "Oh, yeah!" he said.

Boss smirked. "I thought so." He walked over to Bijou and took her paw.

"Would you give me the honor of hiding with me?" he asked in his most gentleman voice.

Bijou stared, bewildered, a sweatdrop going down her head as she heard his voice.

"Oh! Uh...uh...I guess I could." she said to the bigger hamster, who was already leading her out of the Clubhouse.

Carrot Tip, Hamtaro and Stan all watched this for a moment.

Then Stan lowered his head and crossed his arms. "Man, that guy is like, totally desperate!" he said.

Carrot Tip looked up at Stan, a slightly confused look on her face. "Desperate? What do you mean, Stan?" she asked.

Stan flushed slightly. "I'll tell you later." he took one of her paws in his. "For now, let's go play!" he said, leading Carrot Tip out as all the other Ham-Hams eagerly raced out of the Clubhouse.

They were all looking forward to a good game of Ham and Seek. Hamtaro walked behind Carrot Tip and Stan.

For some reason, he couldn't keep his stare off of Carrot Tip. Freaky, but it was like he'd met her someplace, long ago.

What was so familiar about her? The hamster wondered this silently to himself as they walked through the tunnel.


	7. Chapter 7

"We all know the rules of Ham and Seek, right?"

All the Ham-Hams were gathered in a big circle around Maxwell, who was explaining the rules of the game.

"Every hamster," Maxwell continued, "Gets to decide if they want to hide alone or with a friend. Home base, or 'Safe' will be..." The tall brown and white hamster paused, thinking this over.

"Like, how about that tree, Max?" Sandy suggested, pointing with her ribbon to a nearby tree.

Maxwell looked and grinned, nodding his head. "Ok! Are we ready then?"

All the hamsters let out a chorus of "Yeah's!"

"Uh excuse me, but ain't we gonna choose who's It first?" Howdy interrupted.

Maxwell sweatdropped, having almost forgotten. "Oh, yeah-" but he was cut off by the hamster once more.

"A game of Ham and Seek without someone to be It is, well...like a saddled horse without no one to ride him!" Howdy broke into a fit of laughs at his own lame joke, while the rest of his friends fell over, groaning at his stupid joke.

"Who wants to be It?" Maxwell said, the first to get back up.

When nobody answered, the bookworm hamster crossed his paws and sighed. "I guess I'll have to choose then...Bijou, can I borrow one of your ribbons?"

"Oh, yes." The french Ham-Ham untied one of her pretty blue ribbons and handed it over to Maxwell.

"Thank you, Bijou." He tied it over his eyes. "The one I tag will be It. Ok?"

The rest of the Ham-Hams agreed, but each of them all thinking the same thing: They mustn't let themselves be tagged! They all backed up a little, widening the circle as Maxwell began to move forward.

Carrot Tip giggled softly under her breath and she moved backward, avoiding Maxwell. Now he was going near Oxnard and Boss.

Oxnard backed away a good deal, not wanting to be it. To him, this game was scary enough when you were hiding and trying not to be found...who knew how scary it was when you were It?

What if the ones you were looking for jumped out and scared you?! Oxnard did not like this thought at all, and he quickly ran over to another group of hamsters.

Maxwell stopped moving when he touched another furry body. "Who'd I tag?" he asked, removing the ribbon so he could see.

"Ok, you're It, Boss!" he said, as he saw that he'd tagged the field hamster. "Let's play! Make sure to count slowly, Boss!"

The rest of the hamsters ran away, giggling to themselves as Boss turned and put his paws over his eyes.

"Aww...I'm always It!" he grumbled under his breath, so as not to be heard. He sighed and began to count. "1...2...3..."

All of the Ham-Hams were scurrying from place to place, searching for the perfect hiding spot. Pashmina, Penelope, Bijou and Cappy all hid in the bushes. Sandy and Maxwell hid under the roots of an old tree.

Oxnard scrambled around, looking for a hiding place, and finally settled for hiding behind a big tree. He began to eat his sunflower seed out of nervous habit. "Krmp-krmp!"

Stan hid under a big mushroom. He called to Carrot Tip to come hide with him, but she didn't answer him. She wanted to find her own hiding place.

Little did she know, but she was being followed by another hamster. Finally, the orange and white hamster found a good hiding place in the hollow opening of a tree.

Delighted, she climbed inside. She grinned to herself. What a perfect hiding place! Surely nobody would find her here!

"...Excuse me." Carrot Tip shrieked as a paw tapped her back, and she fell over on her face.

As quick as this had happened, the hamster scrambled to her feet, sweatdropping. "Who-who's there?!" she demanded.

As she said this, the hamster came closer and Carrot Tip saw that it was Hamtaro.

"Just me, Carrot Tip. Sorry if I scared you...again." he said.

Carrot Tip sniffed. "Me? Scared? You gotta be kidding!" she said, tilting her nose upward and crossing her tiny paws. She hoped he hadn't seen that she'd turned slightly red.

Hamtaro sweatdropped at this. "Ok...So, is this your hiding place?" he asked.

Carot Tip nodded. "Yep, found it all by myself!" she said proudly.

Hamtaro paused. "Can I hide with you, Carrot Tip?" he asked after a moment.

Carrot Tip looked surprised. "I guess. But, why aren't you hiding with Bijou? I thought you two really liked each other."

Now it was Hamtaro's turn to blush. "Well, I was going to...but she disappeared so fast that I never saw which way she went." he paused again. "Besides...I think we need to talk."

Carrot Tip looked confused. "Heke? What do you mean, Hamtaro? Talk about what?" she asked curiously.

Hamtaro stared into her emerald eyes. They were so bright in this darkness, they almost looked spooky.

_'Like that hamster from my day-mare.' _he thought.

"How can I put this? Carrot Tip, you look a lot like another hamster I've seen before..." he said to the smaller Ham-Ham. "Only I don't know where, or how I could've seen you and not remember it right now. That's why I think we should talk and get this whole thing straightened out."

Carrot Tip smiled at this. "Ok. I doubt you'll believe me, Hamtaro, but you look familiar to me too...your name even sounds familiar." she said.

Hamtaro moved to the very back of the opening and motioned for her to come sit down. "We can talk louder over here." he said softly.

The smaller hamster nodded in agreement and had a seat across from him. Now the two hamsters both stared at each other, unblinking, each of them trying to figure out where they'd seen the other.

It was Carrot Tip who spoke first. "Hamtaro?"

Hamtaro looked at her for a moment before answering. "Yeah?"

"Do you remember if you had any brothers or sisters?"

Hamtaro paused, looking thoughtful. "I'm not sure...Why?" he asked.

"Try your very best to remember, please." Carrot Tip urged.

Hamtaro remained silent, thinking hard. Why did Carrot Tip want to know this? It confused him. To be honest, he wasn't even sure if he'd had any siblings. But the girl hamster looked so hopeful, Hamtaro could not help thinking his hardest.

He struggled to remember that which had taken place before he'd met Laura. Slowly, a foggy picture began to emerge in his mind. It was a pet store. There were carriers and cages all over the place. In one of them was two small hamsters, laying close together, asleep.

Hamtaro blinked in confusion. Who were they? He struggled to make the image less blurry in his head, and eventually he could make out some fur markings.

What he saw almost made his jaw drop. One of them looked exactly like him...it was him! The other...that one was orange and white too, but with slightly different fur markings.

Hamtaro snapped out of his thoughts and looked down at Carrot Tip, who was watching him with a very curious expression.

"Where did you come from, Carrot Tip?" he asked slowly.

Carrot Tip smiled slightly. "I came from the pet store...on the other side of town." she said.

Hamtaro looked a little surprised. "I did too." he said. Carrot Tip's eyes widened slightly. This sounded promising.

"So if we both were from the same pet shop, we must have met each other at one time, right?" Hamtaro asked.

The smaller hamster nodded. "I think so." she said.

As she spoke, Hamtaro was staring intently at her, trying to make out her fur in the darkness. Finally he was able to see enough, and he gasped. Now he knew who the other hamster with him in the cage had been in his flashback. It had been Carrot Tip!

The orange and white hamster looked up then and saw his stare on her, his jaw dropped slightly. "...Hamtaro? Are you ok?" she asked.

Hamtaro did a quick double take, starting to sweat. "Carrot Tip, I think I know why you look familiar." he began slowly.

"I think," he went on, "We were both in the same carrier. I keep seeing this image of two hamsters, and now I know who they look like. Us!"

Carrot Tip smiled at this. Her suspicions were proving to be true. Hamtaro may very well be her brother after all!

"So tell me...do you think you ever had any brothers or sisters?" she asked again.

Hamtaro paused. "I think I might have had a sister...but it was so long ago, and I never saw her again. So I assumed she was just someone I made up so I wouldn't feel so alone." he said.

Then he looked at Carrot Tip, an interested smile spreading across his face. "Why'd ya wanna know?"

Carrot Tip sighed. "I just thought...nah, it's...nothing." she said simply. _'This isn't the time to tell him that I think he's my brother.'_ she thought, feeling a little sad.

"What?" Hamtaro asked. "What were you going to say?" he pressed.

Carrot Tip shook her head. "I already told you, it's nothing, Hamtaro."

This said, she lowered her head and looked down. "I think we'd better be quiet now, unless we want Boss to find us." she said.

Hamtaro nodded distractedly. What had she been about to say?

She had looked happpy when he said he might have a sister, but then she'd seemed sad when he had admitted to thinking she was just a dream.

Hamtaro's eyes widened as a thought struck him. Could Carrot Tip be...?

He quickly shook his head to clear his thoughts. No! She couldn't be! His sister had only been someone he made up. Right? But then...who was the other hamster in the carrier, and why did she look just like Carrot Tip?

Why did he suddenly feel this strong desire to comfort her sad looking form right now, and to protect her? Maybe she was his sister...

Hamtaro shook his head again. It couldn't be! Could it...?


	8. Chapter 8

"98...99...100." Boss finished counting and heaved a sigh of relief. "Finally."

Why did they have to count to 100 anyway, he thought, a sweatdrop forming on his head. Why couldn't they just count to 20 or 30 even?

The field hamster raised his head to the sky and called out. "Ready or not, Ham-Hams, here I come!"

--

Hamtaro and Carrot Tip were still hiding in the hollow tree, just staring at each other. Well, actually, Hamtaro was doing more of the staring than little Carrot Tip. He just couldn't help it! The more he thought about it, and talked with her, the more it seemed like Carrot Tip might really be his long lost little sister! ...If she'd really existed, that is. Hmmm.

Carrot Tip frowned and turned her head away from him. They had been sitting here in silence for almost 15 minutes now, and Hamtaro had done nothing but stare intently at her. It was really starting to creep her out!

Very slowly, the golden white hamster turned her head back to face Hamtaro again, only to see that he was still staring hard at her. She quickly whirled around so she wasn't facing him again. Her face was beginning to heat up. Why was he staring anyway? "What?!" she demanded.

Hamtaro just watched her unblinking. "Nothing." he replied quietly, taking note of the face that she was beginning to look scared. The hamster sighed inwardly. Could this hamster, Carrot Tip...really be his sister? There was one way to find out. Hamtaro opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out as Carrot Tip clamped a paw over his mouth. "Shh!" she warned softly. "I thought I heard something."

Both hamsters fell completely silent as they strained their ears to pick up even the smallest sound. Finally they heard a nearby voice. "Oh Ham-Hams! Where are youuuuuu!"

Carrot Tip couldn't help but smile at Boss's question. Did he really expect an answer? Well, he wasn't about to get one from her! Giggling softly under her breath, Carrot Tip crept to the hollow opening and peeked out. She soon spotted Boss, who was searching around behind a rock. The golden orange-white hamster motioned for Hamtaro to come over, which he did, a curious look on his face as he approached.

Once he was peeking outside, Carrot Tip pointed down at Boss. Then she shifted her gaze, and pointed over at the tree that they'd decided would be safe, and looked at Hamtaro.

Hamtaro nodded eagerly. He finally understood. They were going to run to safe, and not let Boss catch them. Hamtaro gave Carrot Tip the thumbs-up signaling OK.

The smaller hamster smiled and nodded, a glimmer of excitement and mischief in her bright green emerald eyes. Hamtaro did a mental double take. Why did she seem so familiar all of a sudden?

Carrot Tip tried to ignore similar feelings as she had locked eyes with Hamtaro. He was so familiar, in a way...She shifted her gaze to watch Boss. When he passed by their tree, she looked back at Hamtaro. "Ready?" she whispered.

Hamtaro nodded, and Carrot Tip went first with a quiet "Oopah!" Both hamsters scurried down the tree, doing their very best to keep quiet. When they'd reached the bottom, both hamsters hid behind the tree roots, to avoid being discovered by Boss. Now they were planning their next move.

"So, Hamtaro, what's the plan now?" Carrot Tip asked with an expectant look on her face.

Hamtaro just stared at her, a dumbfounded expression on his face. "Heke? I thought you had an idea." he said.

Carrot Tip frowned, sweatdropping slightly. She was expected to think of everything? "OK...Let's just make a run for it then. On three." She lowered her voice. "1..."

Neither Carrot Tip nor Hamtaro had seen Stan come out of hiding and start toward them from behind. "2..." Carrot Tip prepared to run, but froze as she heard a voice behind her. "Hey!"

The Ham-Ham's emerald eyes went as wide as saucers. Thinking that Boss had found them, she abandoned the idea of counting down and bolted away. running toward the "safe" tree. "Gyaaaaaah! He's found us, run Hamtaro!"

Carrot Tip didn't stop running until she hit face first into the safe tree. Stunned by the blow, she fell backward, rubbing her head and smoothing back her ruffled fur. "Owi, that hurt..kushkush, kushkush..."

Back at the other tree, Hamtaro and Stan both watched with big sweatdrops going down their heads. "How embarrassing." Hamtaro muttered, crossing his paws and shaking his head, eyes slightly closed.

Stan, however, could not stop the laughter that was bubbling up inside. Finally, he gave up and threw his head, allowing himself to laugh.

Realization that her act of stupidity had been seen hit, and Carrot Tip groaned. "It's not funny, Stan!" she shouted. Her eyes were flashing with anger as she felt the heat rise to her cheeks. She knew she was blushing.

To her surprise, instead of teasing her further, Stan ran over until he was at her side. "Like, I know it isn't." he looked down at her worriedly. "You OK? You're not hurt or anything, are you?" he said, offering a paw to help her up.

Carrot Tip's eyes softened, and her face took on a look of shock and confusion as she let Stan help her up. "N-no. I'm alright." she mumbled. "Thank you."

"Like, anytime, Carrot Tip." Stan said, a relieved smile on his face.

Carrot Tip looked at him in confusion. That had not been what she'd expected Stan to say. If anything, she'd expected a little more teasing before he showed he cared.

"Aha! There you are!" Carrot Tip and Stan whirled around and saw Boss charging toward them. Quickly, the two hamsters reached their paws out and touched the tree. "Sorry Boss, but we're safe!" Carrot Tip cheered gleefully.

Boss was about to turn around when he spotted another hamster nearby. It was Hamtaro. Realizing that he hadn't made it to the safe spot yet, Boss charged toward him.

"Hamtaro- RUN!" Carrot Tip found herself shrieking. She winced, having a hard time believing that that shrill voice just now had been hers.

Hamtaro did a double take, and finally saw Boss coming toward him. He scurried out of the way just before Boss could tag him, and bolted for the tree. Just a little further...here we go...Hamtaro finally got to the tree, and he tagged in triumphantly. "Safe!" he cheered.

Boss skidded to a halt, panting hard and he sighed. "Aww cats..."


	9. Chapter 9

Hamtaro, Carrot Tip and Stan all laughed as Boss turned and walked away, grumbling under his breath.

He was unaware as he turned that Bijou was in the bushes nearby. She darted out and ran to the tree, joining the other Hams.

Hamtaro smiled at the white hamster. "Oh, hi Bijou."

Bijou smiled back and waved her paw, a small blush creeping into her cheeks. "Bonjour, Hamtaro." she said sweetly in her French accent.

Hamtaro wasn't sure why, but something about the tone in her voice when she spoke made his face heat up a little.

Bijou realized this, and she giggled, blushing redder than before.

"Hey Bijou," Hamtaro began, staring at the blush on her face, "I think you should stay out of the sun for awhile. Your face is getting burned."

"Gyaaaah!" Hamtaro glanced around in confusion at his three friends, all sprawled out on the ground on their backs. "Are you guys ok?" he asked, helping each of them up again.

When he offered his paw to Bijou to help her up, the white hamster's face turned red, and she was forced to look away.

"What's wrong?" Hamtaro asked, blinking in confusion.

Stan sighed and crossed his paws, shaking his head. "For someone as clever as you can be, Hamtaro, you sure are like, clueless when it comes to these things..." he muttered.

Hearing this, Hamtaro frowned and turned to Stan. "What things? Tell me."

"Bijou's not getting sunburned, Hamtaro. She's blu-" Stan's voice was muffled as Carrot Tip put a paw over his mouth.

"Don't say it, Stan." she warned in a soft but firm voice.

Stan frowned at her. "Why not?" he demanded, pulling her paw away from his mouth. "Don't you think he should know?"

"No, not yet!"

"I should know what?" Hamtaro interrupted.

Carrot Tip and Stan both paused and turned to look at him for a brief moment, sweatdropping, before continuing their arguement.

Sighing as he got no answer, Hamtaro turned to Bijou. "Do you know what they're talking about, Bijou?"

Bijou hesitated. Should she tell him? "Well...I..." _'This is it, Bijou! Just take a deep breath and tell him!' _

"Hamtaro...I..." she looked up at him, feeling the blush in her chees deepen, "...have no clue what they're talking about!" she blurted out.

Hamtaro frowned. "Ok. If you're sure..."

Bijou also frowned, slapping herself mentally. Why was it so hard to be honest with him, she thought, sighing inwardly. _'Ok, so I won't tell him now...but perhaps someday...I will.' _

Hamtaro glanced skeptically at Bijou, confused by her pensive expresion. She noticed his stare and looked away, feeling her face go red again. Hamtaro frowned, a puzzled look on his face. "Heke?"

Carrot Tip stopped arguing with Stan and gave Bijou a look of pity. _'Poor girl. The guy she likes is too naive to realize it. If she would just tell him...it would make things a lot easier on them both.' _she thought to herself with a quiet sigh. _ 'Hopefully one of these days she'll find the courage to admit how she feels.'_

She was brought out of her thoughts as Stan placed a paw around her shoulders and said, "Penny for your thoughts?"

The orange and white Ham-Ham smiled and whispered in his ear, so as not to be overheard by Hamtaro. "I was just thinking about poor Bijou. Think she'll ever tell Hamtaro the truth?"

Stan shrugged. "Like, it's a possiblity." he replied.

"What's a possibility?" Hamtaro asked, but was not heard as Carrot Tip and Stan just smiled at one another. They seemed unable to break their gazes from the other.

Finally, Carrot Tip blinked, snapping out of it, and she moved away from Stan, blushing. Why was it that his smile was making her heart do flips? It seemed like his eyes mesmerized her, for he was all she could think of when she looked at him. It was all too weird for Carrot Tip to think about right now.

To her surprise, when she looked around, Carrot Tip found that all the other Ham-Hams had made it to the "safe" tree. When had they all gotten here? Had she been staring at Stan for that long?

The golden orange and white hamster jumped in surprise as a hamster took her paw. She turned around, expecting Stan, but instead she saw...

"Dexter?"

The grey and white hamster smiled and kissed her paw lightly. "We meet again, my sweet Carrot Tip." he said warmly, "Now that our game of Ham and Seek is over, would you mind taking a stroll to the park with me?"

"Um, well...I..." Carrot Tip began to protest, but the Ham in glasses wasn't finished.

"There's something important that I need to tell you. Please say you'll come with me."

Carrot Tip stared, speechless in astonishment at Dexter for a moment before nodding her head slowly. "OK...sure, I guess."

Dexter's smile widened. "Great! Let's go then!" he said, leading the girl hamster away from all the other Ham-Hams.

He wasn't aware of Stan watching him, a scowl on his face. The tiger striped hamster clenched his paws together and gritted his teeth angrily. _'Like, who does Dexter think he is, stealing Carrot Tip away from me like that?!' _he thought angrily.

There was a pause as he just watched the two hamsters walking off, getting further away from the group.

A small smile began to form on Stan's face. _'Well I hope he doesn't think he's, like, won...I'm not giving up on Carrot Tip __**that **__easily! I saw her first!' _

The orange striped hamster raised a balled up paw in the air. "Let the games begin." he said under his breath, a glint of determination in his eyes.


	10. Chapter 10

Dexter was quiet all the way to the park. When they got there, he stopped near a bench and smiled over at Carrot Tip. "Do you like it here?" he asked.

Carrot Tip hesitated slightly. "I...guess. Yeah, it's nice." she decided. "This is where I met Stan." the hamster added, smiling at the memory.

Dexter's eyes narrowed at this, and he looked irritated at the mention of the boy tiger striped hamster.

Carrot Tip frowned, realizing this. "Heke? Dexter, are you alright?" she asked.

Dexter snapped out of his fit and nodded quickly. "Of course I am!"

The grey and white Ham-Ham adjusted his glasses. He smoothed the wrinkles in his bow tie and smiled at Carrot Tip, taking one of her paws in his.

"Dexter..." the girl hamster uttered in surprise. "What are you...?"

Before Carrot Tip could finish, Dexter began to speak. "Oh, fair Carrot Tip, your sweet smile is brighter than that of the golden sun in the sky. Your eyes more beautiful than a precious gem...Your silky fur puts even the soft glow of the moon to shame."

He moved even closer, never breaking eye contact with the now speechless Carrot Tip.

"...Carrot Tip, while I barely know you, I feel we are destined to be soul mates."

Carrot Tip's eyes widened. Had he just said what she _thought_ he said? Apparently he had, for it became obvious he was waiting for her to answer him.

"Soulmates...really...Haha..." the nervous hamster stammered, inching away from Dexter. "You don't say..."

Dexter nodded his head. "Yes, soul mates. We're meant to be together...I'm sure you feel the same way, Carrot Tip...right?"

Carrot Tip was once again left speechless. "Let me get this straight...you love me? And you...you think I love you back?" she asked, praying she was wrong.

Just what had she gotten herself into by agreeing to come along? To her dismay, the glasses wearing hamster nodded his head.

"Yes, that's why I asked you to come along with me...there was no way I could ask you such a personal question in front of that flirty Ham, Stan." he spat the other hamster's name out as if it tasted bad.

Carrot Tip just stared at him, beginning to feel a little angry. He had NOT just dissed her friend!

Dexter noticed the scowl on her face and he frowned. "Carrot Tip, is everything alright?" he asked.

Not wanting the Ham to know that she was angry, Carrot Tip forced a smile. "Mmm hmm. Everything's fine." she replied.

Dexter paused. "Ok...so answer me then."

"Heke? About what?" Carrot Tip asked.

Dexter groaned. "About whether or not you love me." he said, forcing himself to remain cool. Ok, maybe Carrot Tip could be a little slow, but it was worth it, 'cause she was still really cute, right?

When the orange and white furred hamster still didn't answer, Dexter nudged her softly. "Carrot Tip?" he prompted. "Do you love me?"

Carrot Tip snapped back from her thoughts and quickly shook her head no.

Dexter looked shocked. "You...don't...?" he said in dismay.

Again the girl hamster shook her head. Dexter hung his head. "Why, Carrot Tip? Why don't you love me? Is there someone else you love?" he paused now as a thought struck him. "Is it Stan? Do you have a crush on him and that's why you don't love me?!"

He broke off as he saw Carrot Tip's expression. It was a mixed one of anger, shock and maybe even embarrassment.

"You do like him...don't you?" Dexter said in disbelief.

Carrot Tip's eyes were wide with shock. "No I don't!!" she protested, but Dexter was shaking his head. "Yes, you do. It's written all over your face, Carrot Tip."

Carrot Tip gasped in surprise and broguht her paws to her mouth. It was? Well, maybe she thought he was cute, but that didn't necessarily mean she liked him...did it? She was brought back again from her thoughts as Dexter began to advance toward her.

"Carrot Tip...I'm sorry, but I won't let Stan have you!" Dexter said, lunging at her.

"Heke?! Dexter? What are you doing?" Carrot Tip cried, jumping out of his reach.

In another moment, Dexter had gotten ahold of the girl hamster and was closing the space between them. "What I mean...Carrot Tip...is that you...are going...to be mine." he said softly as he started to kiss her.

Carrot Tip's eyes widened at his embrace. She raised her right paw and slapped the boy hamster across the face, stunning him and making him let her go.

The surprised hamster looked up at Carrot Tip. "What...was...that for?" he asked.

Carrot Tip just glared at him. "You never had permission to do that to me, ya perv!" she cried.

Dexter sighed. "I see...your feelings for Stan are more than I can compete with I guess...you surely are his, and I have no hopes of getting you from him..."

Carrot Tip's glare hardened. "One more thing. I belong to neither you nor Stan! I belong to only me, myself and I! Got it?!"

Not waiting for an answer, Carrot Tip turned and her heel and bolted away. She kept on running until she was at the top of a slide, and she sat down, panting hard.

How dare Dexter! How dare him kiss her, and accuse her of liking Stan! She didn't like him, and she _definitely_ didn't_ love _him! He wasn't her type of hamster, not at all!

So then..Carrot Tip frowned. Why was her face turning pink?

"This is crazy!" she growled under her breath, "I don't like Stan! I don't! No way!"


	11. Chapter 11

Thank you guys for your lovely reviews! I'm really sorry for not updating this for so long...it's just that I haven't had time to type this up...I've got it all written in my notebook though, at least. So yesterday when I actually had time I typed some up, and as luck would have it I had time to type up another chapter. We're getting close to the end of the story :3

That's all...Read and review!

---

"Carrot Tip! Hey Carrot Tip! Where'd you go?" Hamtaro called out as he ran.

It was getting late, and they needed to figure out where Carrot Tip could stay overnight. The only problem was that nobody had seen her for hours. Stan had been the last one seen with her, but he'd gone home long ago, so she must have gone somewhere on her own.

"Carrot Tip!"

---

Back at the park, Carrot Tip gazed up at the sky. Daylight was slowly but surely turning into night time. She'd better find a safe place to go to sleep. Covering her mouth with a paw to hold back the yawn she felt coming, the orange and white furred hamster slid down the slide and began to walk.

She hadn't been walking for long when her hamster senses picked up the scent of another animal nearby.

_'Oh yikes! What if it's a cat?' _the Ham-Ham thought to herself and shivered at the idea. She nearly jumped out of her fur as the bushes rustled.

Gulping, she turned toward the bushes, a sweatdrop forming on the back of her head. "Cat- whatever you are- I'm coming in after you! YAAAAAAA!" The hamster shouted, and charged into the bushes.

"OOF!" Carrot Tip groaned and rubbed her head as she looked around. Where was she, and why was the ground so soft and warm?

"Umm, Carrot Tip? I'm glad you're safe, but can you please get off of me?"

Carrot Tip's emerald eyes widened at this voice, and she glanced down, locking eyes with none other than Hamtaro! "Oopsie!"

Carrot Tip quickly got up and helped the hamster whom she'd plowed into the ground back up. "I'm so so sooooo so sorry! I didn't mean to knock you over."

Hamtaro laughed. "That's OK. I shoulda got out of the way." he said.

Carrot Tip eyed him curiously. "So, Hamtaro, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"I was searching for you." Hamtaro replied, rubbing the back of his head gently. Yes, that slam into the ground was definitely going to leave a mark...or a bruise at least.

Carrot Tip appeared surprised. "Searching for me?" she repeated, "Why?"

Hamtaro was smiling as he spoke. "Well since you don't have a home you're going to need somewhere to stay, right?"

Carrot Tip nodded her head. "Yeah..well just tonight at least."

"So the Ham-Hams want to help!" Hamtaro said, his voice full of enthusiasm.

Carrot Tip hesitated. "Are you sure, Hamtaro?" she asked somewhat timidly.

The bigger hamster laughed and nodded his head. "If I wasn't sure, do you think I would have spent all this time looking for you, Carrot Tip? C'mon, let's go!"

Deciding it would be easier not to argue, Carrot Tip followed Hamtaro back to the Clubhouse.

When they arrived, Hamtaro was surprised to find all the Ham-Hams gone, except for Boss and Snoozer of course.

"Boss, where's all the Ham-Hams?" Hamtaro asked as he looked around.

"They went home." the field hamster replied in a gruff voice, "It's late. You should probably be heading home too, Hamtaro. To Laura." he added.

Hamtaro glanced at Carrot Tip who stood beside him. "But- what about-"

"Carrot Tip?" Boss finished for him, "We all decided that the safest place for her to stay would be here with Snoozer and I."

Carrot Tip smiled and took the small, green blanket that Boss held out to her. "Thank you, Boss. This will be a great place to stay the night." she said sweetly.

Boss frowned and shook his head at her. "I don't think you understood, Carrot Tip. I meant that, well, you could make the Clubhouse your home...unless you don't want to..."

Carrot Tip's emerald eyes were wide with shock, but at the same time, full of joy as she stared up at Boss. "I...I could really stay? It would really be OK?" she asked quietly, apparently awestruck.

Something about the way she said it made Boss smile warmly. "Of course it's OK." he said in a softer than his usual gruff voice. "Snoozer and I wouldn't mind some extra company, would we?" He turned to face Snoozer, who lay in his sleeping bag.

The sleepy hamster smiled, eyes still closed and nodded. "I'd like some extra company." he said in his usual drowsy sounding voice.

Big tears of joy welled up in Carrot Tip's eyes as she hugged Boss. "Oh thank you SO much, Boss! Thank you! You have no idea how much this helps me out! I had been wondering where I would go and now I have my answer! I can stay here...I just can't thank you enough!" she paused. "I'm not sure how to repay you though." the girl hamster admitted sadly.

She paused again as a thought struck her. "Wait! I know! I can help you with meals and cleaning and all kinds of stuff like that! Anything you need help with, I'm your Ham! Just ask, ok?"

Boss looked a little overwhelmed, but nodded. "Yeah, sure. Don't mention it." he sweatdropped as he pulled out of the hug, obviously feeling a little embarrassed by the smaller hamster's constant praise.

"So! Um," the field hamster cleared his throat, "Let's find you somewhere to settle down for the night, and tomorrow we'll get to work on your room."

Carrot Tip smiled dazedly. "My...room...Oh, OK..." she said slowly.

Hamtaro decided this was as good a time as any to go, so he said his goodbyes and left.

---

Later that night, Hamtaro munched hungrily on a sunflower seed as he watched his owner, Laura Haruna write in her journal as she did everynight.

Lucky for him, the Haruna family had gone out to dinner, so there hadn't been anyone homewhen he had gotten back. Nobody that is, except for Brandy, and he wasn't going to tell Laura where her pet hamster always went.

"Heke?" Hamtaro's ears twitched and he glanced up, realizing that Laura was talking to him.

"Guess what I heard today, Hamtaro. Remember the pet store where I got you? Well two animals broke out and ran away. A cat and a hamster. Not just any hamster. Your sister."

She paused and gazed thoughtfully at the little hamster, who was now gawking at her in disbelief. _'No way! So what you're saying is that Carrot Tip really is my sister! Wow! Wait until I tell her!' _

By the time Laura placed Hamtaro in his carrier, he had put all the puzzle pieces together.

Carrot Tip was, in fact, his younger sister. They had been separated when they were young, and that was why he hadn't remembered her at first. His "daymare" had been something of a premonition, describing the future to him before it happened, but with a more bizarre setting.

Hamtaro unleashed a deep sigh. He couldn't believe it, but the fact was as real as he was! The hamster settled down and curled up into a little Ham-ball.

Tomorrow, he and Carrot Tip definitely needed to have a little talk.


	12. Chapter 12

The next morning seemed to drag on as Hamtaro waited for Laura to get ready for school.

He watched impatiently as she brushed her hair, then fussed over the ribbons she had tied in it. As if that weren't enough, she seemed unable to decide what to wear, constantly changing her outfit to another one.

"It's school picture day," Laura explained to her perplexed looking hamster, "So my outfit has to be perfect...that, and you know who might see me" -as she said this, her cheeks turned to a light tint of red and her eyes became all dreamy looking- "So I've got to look my very best!"

"Heke?" Hamtaro just stared at her, trying to figure out who this you-know-who could be.

She wasn't talking about Travis, was she? But then, who else could she be talking about, if not him?

He had no more time to debate on this, as his owner held out two cute outfits for him to see. "Which one do you like better, Hamtaro?" she asked.

Hamtaro glanced at the two outfits. One was a navy blue long sleeved top with a white stripe around the neckline and the edges of the sleeves, with a dark blue skirt to match. The other was a white top that had a red stripe going across the middle, and red sleeves, along with a red skirt to match. The truth be told, both these outfits were equally cute.

However, since Hamtaro couldn't speak, he had no way of letting Laura know this. Having recieved no sort of answer from her pet, Laura tried to choose on her own.

"How can I choose? They're both so cute!" she sighed. "Hey, I know what to do!" Laura lay down both outfits on her bed and played "eeny meeny miny mo".

In the end, the red shirt and skirt won, and she changed into it. "How do I look, Hamtaro?" the brunette asked, twirling around in front of the hamster, making her skirt ruffle slightly.

Hamtaro smiled in approval at his owner. She looked nice!

He was figuring on how he would tell her that when a voice rang out from downstairs, nearly scaring him out of his fur. "Laura are you ready yet? You're going to be late!"

Laura's head shot up and she looked at her clock. "8:55?! Oh no! I'm going to be SO late!"

She hurriedly patted her hair to smooth down any fly away strands she may have had. Then she grabbed her backpack and smiled down at Hamtaro. "Bye Hamtaro, I'll see you later! Be good!" With that, she was gone.

_'Finally, she's gone!' _Hamtaro thought, letting out a silent whoop of joy.

He was anxious to go to the Clubhouse and see Carrot Tip. They really needed to talk. Though he wasn't quite sure yet on how he'd break the news of them being siblings to her. Oh well, he'd figure that out when he got there.

Hamtaro slid open his carrier's door and rolled out. He ran behind the bed and out through the hole he had made in the wall. Now he was on the roof.

"Here we go...Oopah!" the orange and white striped hamster shouted, jumping into the drainpipe. Seconds later he came flying out onto Brandy, as he always did.

Being very quiet, Hamtaro climbed down off the snoozing dog and took off for the Clubhouse, all the while thinking that one of these days he ought to introduce Brandy to Snoozer.

----

"Hamha! Is anybody home?" Hamtaro called out as he entered the Clubhouse.

He was surprised to find the floor a complete mess. Furniture, toys, books and other items were scattered all over the place, making it extremely hard to walk.

"Gyaaah! What's going on here?!" he cried.

He was even more surprised when Carrot Tip poked her head up out from the mess and smiled at him. "Hamtaro! Hamha!" she greeted him cheerfully as she walked across the room until she had reached him.

"Guess what? Boss and I are working on adding in a room for me!" Her gaze went dreamy for a second as she seemed to be staring into outer space. "My very own room..wow..."

Shaking her head to snap out of her daydreaming, Carrot Tip looked back up at Hamtaro. "I'm just working on clearing this mess, so Boss has lots of workspace."

Hamtaro nodded, glancing around the room and chuckling.

Hearing his laugh, a faint blush spread across Carrot Tip's face as she too, observed the room. "I know it doesn't look like it, but I _have _been working!" she insisted and sighed. "It's just a lot of work for one little hamster is all."

Hamtaro laughed to himself. She was right; it really _didn't_ look as though she'd been cleaning, but as she said, that's because she was going at it alone.

Carrot Tip heard his chuckle and glared at him. "I'm telling you! I really _am_ working hard! It's just a big job! So you can stop laughing now..."

Hamtaro glanced at her in surprise. "I wasn't laughing at you." he said, "I was just thinking that if the two of us go at it, the job will get done faster. Whaddaya say, Carrot Tip?"

Relieved to hear that Hamtaro hadn't been laughing at her, Carrot Tip nodded her head eagerly. "You betcha! Hamtaro!" she said, raising a clenched paw in the air, "Let's give it our best! Oopah!"

Hamtaro's smile grew bigger at her determination. She was just like him when it came to getting things done. How was it that he hadn't noticed this before? He shrugged and got to work helping Carrot Tip clean up.

For such a little thing, she sure moved fast! In almost no time she had gotten all the toys picked up and put where they belonged. Hamtaro was beginning to wonder why she even needed his help, as the room got cleaner and cleaner, mainly from her speediness.

He soon found out, when he saw the little hamster trying to move a bookshelf that was far too heavy for her.

"Gyaaah! It's...too...much!" the tired little hamster admitted reluctantly as she continued her struggle to make the shelf move. It really mattered to her that she prove to Hamtaro that she wasn't a weakling.

Hamtaro walked over to his younger sister. "Here, let me help. Two hamsters are better than one." he said.

Carrot Tip nodded, and between the two of them, they got the bookshelf moved back to where it belonged.

"Thanks, Hamtaro." Carrot Tip said afterwards. "Moving that was so much easier with your help. You're right. Two Hams are better than one!" she smiled. "We make a good team, huh?"

Hamtaro smiled and nodded back. "Definitely." He stopped to survey the room. Ït looks like we're finished cleaning, Carrot Tip." he said.

Carrot Tip glanced around the room and nodded her head in approval. "Yep, we're done! It looks pretty good if I do say so myself!"she said proudly. "It's all thanks to you!"

The smaller hamster gave Hamtaro a little hug. Hamtaro hugged her back, all the while longing to pull her into a more brother-siterly hug, but this wasn't the right time. If he did, Carrot Tip would ask him why, and he'd have to think of a way to tell her now that they were related. Truth be told, Hamtaro still wasn't quite ready, either. He needed more time to think.

"I'm happy to report that I'm finished." Came Boss's voice nearby.

Carrot Tip turned and saw Boss standing by a pink door. "Boss! Is that...?"

The field hamster nodded his head proudly, already knowing what she was going to say. "Yep, it's your room. Why don't you take a look inside?"

Unable to speak, Carrot Tip just nodded as Boss held the door open. She stepped inside and squealed with delight.

In the room was a medium sized bed made from a sponge (so it would be extra soft) with the bright green blanket that she'd used last night on top. Next to the bed was a small nightstand with a miniature lamp. In the center of the room on the floor there was a rug, as well as a small table with a vase full of flowers on top, and next to the table were two tiny stools, to serve as chairs.

Carrot Tip ran back to Boss and hugged him tightly. "Thank you so much, Boss! It's all I've ever dreamed of, and so much more!"

Laughing giddily, the hamster ran back into her room and flopped onto the bed, messing up the blanket.

She sighed contentedly as she sunk into the middle of the spnge slightly. "Ahhh...it's perfect!"


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys, I'm back! I am SO sorry for taking this long to update! It's gotten really stressful here at home, and my computer time has been chopped in half yet again! But I finally got a moment to type, so finally, after much waiting, I present to you the final chapter of "Hello My Brother". Thank you to those of you who have reviewed! I hope everyone has enjoyed this as much as I've enjoyed writing, it, nya! **

---

"Hey, Carrot Tip." Hamtaro began, walking into her room.

Carrot Tip sat up and gave him a goofy grin. "My room's all done, Hamtaro! Isn't it fantastic?"

"Yeah, it's great!" Hamtaro said enthusiastically as he looked around the room, nodding his head in approval. He paused, watching the smaller hamster go back to jumping on her bed. "...Carrot Tip?"

The orange and white hamster stopped her jumping and looked at Hamtaro curiously. "What is it, Hamtaro?" she asked.

Hamtaro grinned, glad to finally have her undivided attention. "There's a fun new park that just opened, and I was wondering if you wanted to go with me." Hamtaro hesitated before going on. "There's...something I need to tell you."

Carrot Tip grew silent. The last hamster she'd gone off with had said the same thing, and the result had been Dexter practically proposing to her! "Um...maybe." she said finally, Later on."

"Why can't we just go now, Carrot Tip?" Hamtaro urged, "I think that would be perfect, 'cause none of the Ham-Hams are here yet, so we could go and get back before anyone arrives."

The bigger hamster got on his knees and clasped his paws together. "Please, Carrot Tip? There's a lot of rides, games, and tons of tasty foods to try! It'll be i _so /i _ much fun!"

Carrot Tip looked down at Hamtaro, her reluctance fading. "Well, ok, Hamtaro." She jumped down off the bed and went to Hamtaro's side. "Let's go!"

"Yay!" Hamtaro cheered, a smile on his face as he and Carrot Tip left the Clubhouse.

---

A little while later, the two hamsters arrived in front of a big park filled with other hamsters. There was a large sign overhead that read "Fun Land".

Carrot Tip's eyes lit up at everything she saw. It was just like Hamtaro had said. There were rides, games, and lots of places to eat!

Hamtaro grinned down at the smaller hamster, noticing the excited expression on her face. "What do you want to do first?"

Carrot Tip shrugged. "I don't know...how about we go on a ride?" she suggested.

The bigger hamster nodded. "Ok. Which one?"

Carrot Tip glanced around, then pointed up ahead. "How 'bout that one over there?" she said.

Hamtaro looked ahead and saw that she was pointing to Fun Land's biggest, fastest roller coaster.

"Are you sure, Carrot Tip?" He said, sweatdropping and he looked down at the excited little Ham-Ham. "That looks pretty fast...I wouldn't want you to get scared."

Carrot Tip's smile widened. "I'll be fine, Hamtaro." she replied, winking at him. "Let's go and get in line."

The two orange and white hamsters hurried over to the line for the roller coaster. "Great!" Carrot Tip exclaimed as she noticed how short it was. "We won't have much of a wait!"

Hamtaro nodded in agreement, also excited. "I know, I can't wait!" he said, "Oh, but Carrot Tip, if you have to, you can hold my paw if you get scared." he added as they got to the front of the line, and were led to the cart.

Carrot Tip smiled appreciatively at the bigger hamster. "Thanks, Hamtaro. You're so nice."

Soon the ride started. Carrot Tip and Hamtaro held their breaths as the cart began the steep climb up the tracks. After a few seconds, they reached the top, and the cart came to a brief halt.

"I'm so glad we got to sit up front, aren't you, Hamtaro?" Carrot Tip whispered excitedly.

Hamtaro nodded his agreement, though he was beginning to get a little nervous.

"Here we go!" Carrot Tip said as she felt the cart begin to lean forward. Then, without any warning, they surged downward at full speed!

"Wheeeeeeee! This is ** b so /b **fun!" Carrot Tip shrieked over the roar of the cart on the tracks. She turned to look at Hamtaro, and was surprised to find that his face had gone pale, and his eyes were as wide as saucers. "Hamtaro..."

The girl hamster reached out and took the bigger hamster's paw, giving it a comforting squeeze as the ride got faster and faster. She tried desperately to hide her laughter as Hamtaro threw himself into her side, paws around her neck and clinging onto her for dear life.

When at last the ride came to a stop, Carrot Tip climbed down from the cart, while also helping a cringing Hamtaro. She led him over to a little bench and they sat down.

"Thanks, Carrot Tip." Hamtaro said once he'd calmed down.

Carrot Tip gave him a warm smile. "Don't mention it, bro." she said. After a moment, she realized her mistake and laughed. "I mean Hamtaro! Hahahaha..."

There was a seemingly uncomfortable silence as the two Ham-Hams looked away from one another. Hamtaro, taking note of the silence around them, decided now was the perfect time to tell Carrot Tip what he'd found out last night.

"Carrot Tip?" he tapped the girl hamster's shoulder, "Can we talk?"

"Ok...sure." Carrot Tip looked at Hamtaro curiously. "About what?"

Hamtaro gulped. This was it. "Well...uh, last night I found out something very...interesting..."

Carrot Tip watched Hamtaro intently, now more curious than before if that was possible. Hamtaro took a deep breath before resuming.

"Ok, Carrot Tip, I'm not sure how to say this...but...you and I are related...I'm your big brother."

_'Ok, I said it...Let's just hope she doesn't think I'm crazy now.' _Hamtaro looked to see the smaller hamster's reaction and was surprised to see that she was staring at him with an unreadable look on her face.

A minute later she broke into a big, happy smile. "I knew it!!" she cried, throwing herself at Hamtaro in a hug, and in the process, knocking them both off the bench.

"Heke?" Hamtaro looked at the smaller hamster, confused. "You mean, you knew all along?" This was _definitely _not the kind of reaction he'd been expecting!

Carrot Tip just continued smiling. "Well I always knew I had a brother somewhere. Then, when I met Stan, and he took me to meet you, you just seemed so familiar, like I'd met you someplace before."

Hamtaro smiled at his sister. "Really? Well when I first met you, I felt the same way. Only I wasn't sure why."

"Now we know." Carrot Tip said softly, getting to her paws and helping Hamtaro back up.

The two siblings smiled at each other and hugged. "So, why don't we go on another ride?" Carrot Tip suggested, breaking the silence that had fallen between them.

She laughed as Hamtaro's face fell. "Don't worry...No more roller coasters." she promised.

The Ham-Hams laughed and took off to find a new ride.

---

It was early evening now. Hamtaro and Carrot Tip had been on all the -slow- rides. All except for the ferris wheel.

"Hey Carrot Tip, let's go on the ferris wheel." Hamtaro suggested. "If we hurry, we can catch the fireworks while we're up there."

His little sister grinned and nodded her head in agreement. "Oo, fireworks! Let's go!"

Paw in paw, the two siblings hurried to get in line. As they approached the ferris wheel, they heard two familiar voices.

"Like, hey you Ham-Hams!"

"Bonjour!"

Hamtaro and Carrot Tip spun around to see Stan and Bijou waving and walking toward them.

Carrot Tip smiled happily at her friends. "Stan, Bijou! Hamha! What brings you here?" she asked.

Bijou grinned. "We wanted to see you two, so we went searching. After a whole day, it appears that we have searched in the right place, yes?" Hamtaro and Carrot Tip giggled.

"Like actually," Stan said, leaning close to Carrot Tip, "Bijou wanted to find Hamtaro...I just wanted to see _you_." he whispered.

Carrot Tip wasn't positive why, but this made her blush. Stan grinned at her. "So, what are you and Hamtaro doing?"

"We're just hanging out." Was Carrot Tip's answer. She lowered her voice so only Stan could hear. "Guess what! We found out that we are brother and sister!"

Stan's eyes lit up. "Really? Wow!" he paused. "Since you two are siblings, ya think your brother will mind if I, like, take you on the ferris wheel?"

Carrot Tip hesitated. "Actually, Hamtaro and I were just heading there ourselves...he wanted to show me the fireworks."

Stan smirked. "He can go with Bijou, you come with me. Is that cool?"

"I...guess..." Carrot Tip said slowly as Stan took her paw in his and led her to the ferris wheel.

"Hey Hamtaro, I guess I'm gonna ride with Stan, and you can go with Bijou." she said as they walked past Hamtaro and Bijou.

"Ok." Hamtaro said, luckily not noticing the blush that was beginning to spread across Bijou's cheeks.

The four Ham-Hams got in line, and eventually onto the ferris wheel.

---

Hamtaro smiled delightedly as a firework lit up the sky. "Look at that one!" he exclaimed.

Bijou nodded, grinning. After a moment, she shifted her gaze from the fireworks to the gold-orange and white hamster.

"Hamtaro? Did something happen with you and Carrot Tip?" she asked in her French accent. "You both seem so happy."

"Oh I forgot to tell you!" Hamtaro said with a laugh, slapping himself on the head lightly, "Bijou, Carrot Tip and I found out that we're brother and sister!"

Bijou's face went from shock to disbelief to joy. "Oh, how wonderful! I am so happy for you two! Now you can be a family again...how wonderful!"

She sighed with pleasure, closing her eyes and leaning against Hamtaro, a little smile on her face.

A couple minutes later, Hamtaro glanced down at her. "Bijou? Bijou? Aww, she must have fallen asleep..."

The hamster shrugged and went back to watching the fireworks. "Oh well."

---

Stan looked up at the sky where fireworks of every color imaginable exploded. He smiled down at the smaller orange and white hamster who sat beside him. Being here watching fireworks with her...it was truly magical.

He was snapped out of his happy thoughts as a sudden gust of wind blew by, making Carrot Tip shiver.

"Are you, like, cold, Carrot Tip?" Stan asked in concern.

The emerald eyed hamster nodded sheepishly. "A little..." she admitted.

"Here." Stan pulled Carrot Tip closer so she was leaning into him and he had his arm around her. "Better?"

The smaller hamster blushed at his sudden movement. "Yeah...thanks." she said, feeling awkward.

The tiger striped hamster gave her a smile as if to say "Don't mention it". "Hey, Carrot Tip?" He began a moment later, "I heard you turned Dexter down...Was there a reason why?"

Carrot Tip sat up quickly in surprise, moving away from him slightly. "Where'd you hear that?"

"It's not important." the tiger striped hamster said. There was an awkward silence.

"Was the reason maybe...possibly because you don't like him because you...do you like me?" Stan asked, finally breaking the silence.

Carrot Tip felt her face redden. Instead of answering, the smaller hamster moved closer to Stan and leaned on him, as before. She sighed contentedly, watching the fireworks.

"Carrot Tip?" Stan said. "**Do **you like me?"

Carrot Tip's eyes shifted from the fireworks above to meet Stan's gaze. She gave a mischievous little grin, which confused him. "Maybe I do, and maybe I don't," she said, gazing back up at the sky, "That's for me to know and you to wonder."

Stan groaned. "Why can't you just say 'yes' or 'no'? Like, why must you be so stubborn?"

Carrot Tip just smirked. "Because that's just the way I am. Live with it and deal with it."

Stan sighed. "Fine...I guess I'll just have to, like, trick you into telling me."

Carrot Tip laughed at this. "You can try, Stan." she said with a giggle, as they went back to watching the fireworks in the nighttime sky.


End file.
